BREMERTON — Nine-year-old Richard Dodd, a purple belt martial artist, can very humbly state why he received a second place finish in the Tae Kwon Do Intermediate Forms competition at AAU Nationals competition.

“I got second,” Dodd said, “because the person who had first had cooler techniques.”

Nonetheless, for someone who has only been working on the mats for a year and a half as a martial artist, second place — in an event that sported 57 participants — is quite a feat for the young Poulsbo resident. Dodd also received a silver medal in the point sparring competition at the event, held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. July 6-11.

“He has a very bright future as a martial artist,” said Kat Haggard, one of Dodd’s instructors at the Studio Kicks martial arts studio in Bremerton.

Haggard, too, journeyed to the event with several Kitsap-area martial artists, and was able to notch a few feathers in her cap as well. As a first degree black belt, Haggard won the gold medal and national championship in her 18-34 age division in traditional forms. She also picked up a bronze medal in the same age division for Olympic sparring.

“My strengths are in forms,” Haggard said. “Because technically, I’m clean. But I like sparring because it focuses you.”

One other of Haggard’s students who trains at Studio Kicks and won prestige at the event was 9-year-old Paige Serwold of Scandia, who took home a bronze in intermediate traditional forms.

Serwold had also just made the jump from beginner to intermediate as a martial artist, as a brand new green belt at the Fort Lauderdale competition.

“She’s got a spark,” Haggard said of Serwold. “She’s going to do well as a martial artist.”

Haggard, who has been involved in martial arts since she was 7 years old, took the national championship in forms: an event where the participant mimes the movements of Tae Kwon Do without an opponent. Haggard competed against 21 others in her 18-35 age division at the black belt level, beating all other competitors.

The other event that Dodd and Haggard won medals in was sparring, which pits two martial artists against one another for two two-minute rounds. Each competitor, while wearing protective gear, scores one point for each blow they land on their opponent and two points for blows to the head.

“It’s really hard to stay focused when you’ve been kicked and your adrenaline is up,” Haggard said of the competition.

Haggard commented that she’d like to continue competing, but also has aspirations as a teacher.

“I’d like to have my own studio,” Haggard said.

Her wish may come true, as Studio Kicks has been confirmed as one of the new tenants of the Kitsap All Sports Complex, to be built across Highway 3 from the Babe Ruth and Little League fields in Poulsbo.

As for the Nationals competition, a total of 22 medals were won by Washington state martial artists, 10 of which came from artists who train at Studio Kicks.